Read more: Local, State, Prison Farm, Wateree River Correctional Facility, Dairy, South Carolina Department of Corrections, Jon Ozmint
For three years, South Carolina's Department of Corrections has run a deficit. Now the agency has an innovative idea to cut costs and give inmates a chance to better themselves.
Several hundred non-violent offenders earn the right to work at the Wateree River Correctional Facility.
They produce everything from sweet potatoes to corn to eggs, which helps feed 24,000 inmates statewide.
The agency has been producing dairy for several years, and the current facility is tripling in size.
Corrections Director Jon Ozmint hopes a new $7 million dairy will pay for itself within 5 to 10 years and then start making money for the system.
"We're mindful of the fact that everyone else in the country and in our state is suffering through a stagnant economy, and we're doing everything we can to be good stewards of their tax dollars," said Ozmint.
Phase one of this project will open next January
